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ORAM ORAM is a leading international non-profit organization dedicated to protecting LGBTIQ asylum seekers

ORAM is a leading international non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the world’s most vulnerable refugees.

Later this month, ORAM’s Director of Programs, Anja Limon, will speak at Doing Business with Pride in Hamburg.The two-da...
10/02/2026

Later this month, ORAM’s Director of Programs, Anja Limon, will speak at Doing Business with Pride in Hamburg.

The two-day conference will bring together leaders from business, research, civil society, and international development to discuss strengthening economic participation for LGBTIQ+ people, BIPoC communities, and women.

Anja will share ORAM’s experience advancing economic empowerment for LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers, highlighting practical approaches that connect skills, opportunity, dignity, and inclusion.

Participants will exchange strategies to address structural barriers, expand access to economic opportunity, and promote more inclusive economic systems.

Doing Business with Pride will be held October 15–16 in Hamburg. Participation is free, and registration is open until October 8.

To register, please email [email protected].

ORAM is proud to announce a partnership with the German Embassy Nairobi, on behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office,...
09/21/2026

ORAM is proud to announce a partnership with the German Embassy Nairobi, on behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office, to advance LGBTIQ inclusion in Kenya’s human rights and humanitarian programming.

ORAM’s East Africa Program Manager, Winfred Wangari, and Ambassador Sebastian Groth formalized the partnership at a signing ceremony in Nairobi.

To date, 24 LGBTIQ refugees in Nairobi and Kakuma Refugee Camp began training as facilitators. They are learning to lead workshops for staff at human rights and humanitarian organizations, promoting greater inclusion and support for LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers.

Our approach ensures that people with lived experience of displacement help guide the process. Facilitators collaborate with ORAM’s team to design and deliver training sessions for organizations serving their communities.

This partnership builds on several years of ORAM’s humanitarian inclusion program under our Advocacy pillar, which helps humanitarian and asylum systems better recognize and include LGBTIQ refugees.

At a moment when LGBTIQ rights and protections are under pressure globally, partnerships like this one matter. We’re grateful to the German Embassy for standing behind this work.

Since 12 September, Türkiye has detained at least 68 people and arrested 21 under the so-called "My Family is Safe" oper...
09/17/2026

Since 12 September, Türkiye has detained at least 68 people and arrested 21 under the so-called "My Family is Safe" operation. This campaign has targeted LGBTIQ organizations, human rights defenders, and blocked digital access to outlets sharing information about the crackdown.

With 18 years of experience supporting LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers – including previously in Türkiye - ORAM strongly condemns these detentions and arrests. Detaining and prosecuting human rights defenders for their legitimate activities is unacceptable.

LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers in Türkiye face heightened risk when the organizations and networks they depend on are labeled as criminal enterprises and forced offline.

We are concerned by reports that platforms including Meta and X have restricted or suppressed LGBTIQ accounts in Türkiye during this period. These platforms have a responsibility to avoid compounding state repression by silencing organizations and individuals documenting these events.

ORAM joins calls for the immediate release of all those detained solely for their human rights activities, and for investigations and proceedings to comply with international human rights standards, including freedom of association and expression. We also call on Meta, X, and other social media platforms to stop silencing and suppressing free speech.

We urge diplomatic missions, multilateral institutions, and platforms to protect civic space so human rights organizations can continue their work safely, and we stand in solidarity with LGBTIQ human rights defenders in Türkiye.

ORAM is proud to welcome Dali as our Project Assistant Intern in Berlin!Dali (they/them) is a Ugandan refugee and human ...
09/14/2026

ORAM is proud to welcome Dali as our Project Assistant Intern in Berlin!

Dali (they/them) is a Ugandan refugee and human rights activist based in Germany, with experience in communications, advocacy, community support, psychological first aid, mental health, and trauma-informed facilitation.

Previously, Dali served as Communication and Advocacy Officer and Chairperson of the Security Committee at Transgender Equality Uganda (TEU). In these roles, they supported advocacy campaigns, implemented communication strategies, and contributed to documentation and emergency response efforts before, during, and after the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act.

Dali is already bringing their experience to ORAM’s work. Next Wednesday, they will help facilitate a Wellbeing Workshop at we are village in Berlin for LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers.

We’re happy to have Dali as our newest team member!

09/09/2026

ORAM’s 2026 Annual Report is now available!

This past year brought extraordinary challenges for LGBTIQ refugees, asylum seekers, and the organizations supporting them.

Amid shrinking humanitarian resources, limited resettlement opportunities, and rising needs, ORAM continued to adapt and move forward—helping create places where hope could take root.

Our 2026 Annual Report, Where Hope Takes Root, details how ORAM’s Protection, Empowerment, and Advocacy programs created pathways to safety, dignity, and opportunity for LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya, Germany, Mexico, and beyond.

Each number in this report represents an individual rebuilding their life, leading, and planning for the future. The report features stories of clients and partners who found stability, strengthened their skills, supported their communities, and offered hope to others facing displacement.

None of this work would be possible without our dedicated supporters, partners, donors, staff, Board of Directors, volunteers, and global community.

Thank you for standing with ORAM and helping hope take root for LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers.

Read ORAM’s 2026 Annual Report here: https://www.oramrefugee.org/oram-annual-report-2026

ORAM’s 2026 Annual Report is now available! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️This past year brought extraordinary challenges for LGBTIQ refugees...
09/09/2026

ORAM’s 2026 Annual Report is now available! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

This past year brought extraordinary challenges for LGBTIQ refugees, asylum seekers, and the organizations supporting them.

Amid shrinking humanitarian resources, limited resettlement opportunities, and rising needs, ORAM continued to adapt and move forward - creating places where hope could take root. 🌱

Our 2026 Annual Report, Where Hope Takes Root, details how ORAM’s Protection, Empowerment, and Advocacy programs created pathways to safety, dignity, and opportunity for LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya, Germany, Mexico, and beyond.

Each number in this report represents an individual rebuilding their life, leading, and planning for the future. The report features stories of clients and partners who found stability, strengthened their skills, supported their communities, and offered hope to others facing displacement.

None of this work would be possible without our dedicated supporters, partners, donors, staff, Board of Directors, volunteers, and global community.

Thank you for standing with ORAM and helping hope take root for LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers.

Read ORAM’s 2026 Annual Report today: https://www.oramrefugee.org/oram-annual-report-2026

08/19/2026

Today, on , we recognize ORAM’s staff around the world and the work they do every day to protect and empower LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers. 🫶

Our team includes field coordinators (members of the LGBTIQ refugee community), program staff, managers, directors, interns, communications and fundraising staff, and organizational leadership.

ORAM staff listen to clients, help programs respond to real needs, coordinate with trusted partners, and most importantly support LGBTIQ refugees navigating displacement. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

On World Humanitarian Day, we are grateful for the care, resilience, and commitment our team brings to this work — especially in a challenging humanitarian landscape.

Watch the reel to meet our ORAM’s humanitarians. 💙

Want to share a message of support with our team? 💬

Leave a comment here, send us a note at [email protected], or make a gift in their honor.

Thank you to ORAM’s staff for standing alongside LGBTIQ refugees and helping create pathways to safety, stability, and hope.

The U.S. Department of State has proposed revisions to the Medical Examination for Visa or Immigration Benefit forms tha...
08/14/2026

The U.S. Department of State has proposed revisions to the Medical Examination for Visa or Immigration Benefit forms that would require physicians to collect highly sensitive information from people seeking visas or other immigration benefits.

The proposed revisions would:
- Require reporting of gender-affirming surgeries using vague and stigmatizing language

- Add “gender dysphoria” under “Psychological/Psychiatric Disorders”

- Identify HIV as a separate laboratory result

- Require photographs and detailed descriptions of scars and bodily markings

The Department has not shown that collecting this information is necessary to determine visa or immigration eligibility. These intrusive requirements could expose LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers — especially transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people and people living with HIV — to stigma, greater scrutiny, delays, or discrimination as they seek safety.

ORAM joined 119 immigration and human rights organizations in calling on the State Department to withdraw these harmful proposed revisions. U.S. immigration medical examinations must uphold dignity, privacy, and the right to seek safety.

ORAM stands in solidarity with Berlin’s LGBTIQ community following the devastating attack at Berlin Pride on Saturday.As...
07/27/2026

ORAM stands in solidarity with Berlin’s LGBTIQ community following the devastating attack at Berlin Pride on Saturday.

As an organization that has called Berlin home for the past eight years and has served LGBTIQ refugees in Berlin since 2022, we are heartbroken by this act of violence against our community.

Pride should be a space of visibility, belonging, and safety. This attack is a painful reminder that LGBTIQ people continue to face violence simply for living authentically.

We mourn the life lost, hold the injured and recovering close to our hearts, and stand with everyone in Berlin grieving and healing from this tragedy.

ORAM remains committed to advocating for the rights and safety of LGBTIQ people, especially those in displacement, so they can live with dignity, security, and opportunity.

Ahead of , ORAM’s Kenya Team hosted a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for 12 LGBTIQ refugee community leade...
07/21/2026

Ahead of , ORAM’s Kenya Team hosted a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for 12 LGBTIQ refugee community leaders in Nairobi.

The workshop strengthened participants’ leadership, conflict resolution, and facilitation skills while creating a safe space for them to reflect on their journeys, discuss their impact in the community, and celebrate well-earned milestones and successes.

“This year, there were mixed emotions around World Refugee Day — happiness for how far the LGBTIQ refugee community has come in Nairobi, and sadness for the immense challenges the community still faces, especially new arrivals,” shared ORAM’s Program Officer, Kennedy Mwangi.

At ORAM, we believe refugee leadership is essential to building stronger, safer, and more connected communities. Thank you to ORAM’s Kenya Team for facilitating this valuable training, and congratulations to all participants as they continue strengthening their leadership skills and supporting their communities.

Address

1325 Quincy Street NE Ste A1
Minneapolis, MN
55413

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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+16126825044

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